MAYBE I've been watching a bit too much Nick at Nite this summer. Recently, I had a dream that I was one of the Huxtable children -- that's right, Sandra, Denise, Vanessa, Theo, Rudy and me. There's no doubt that Dr. Bill Cosby's seemingly perfect television family had a certain allure to it. The family values that Cosby sought to teach through his 1980s sitcom are timeless. Most recently, however, Cosby has been the focus of much negative attention from the African-American community because of his insistence that it embrace these same values.
In order to understand the profound effect that "The Cosby Show" had on mainstream Americans' perceptions of African-American families, it has to be put into proper context. Before the mid-1980s, most sitcoms that featured blacks in main roles mocked the economic hardships that they faced and perpetuated negative stereotyping of African-American families. Shows such as Norman Lear's "Sanford and Son" and "Good Times" only emphasized the stereotype of the economically unstable, ignorant black man. According to social analyst Robin Coleman, in his book "African American Viewers and the Black Situation Comedy," other shows that featured blacks in prominent roles, such as "Webster" and "Diff'rent Strokes," taught mainstream America that "blackness" was an impoverished condition that African Americans could overcome if they rejected it and instead adopted "whiteness" as superior.
But Dr. Cosby recognized that there needed to be a change in America's perception of the African-American family. In 1984, he introduced "The Cosby Show," which depicted a well-to-do African-American family without any of the dysfunction or economic problems that had characterized earlier television portrayals of blacks.
Perhaps Cosby's biggest emphasis, both on "The Cosby Show" and in his other work, is education. Cosby himself received a doctorate of education from the University of Massachusetts. "The Cosby Show" often focused on education through the trials of the Huxtable children, whose experiences Dr. Cosby modeled from those of his own life. For instance, Theo Huxtable's struggle with dyslexia closely followed that of Cosby's own son.
"The Cosby Show" is no longer around to expose American television viewers to a more positive image of the African-American family, except maybe for Nick at Nite junkies like myself. Dr. Cosby, however, has not stopped teaching. On the 50th anniversary of the landmark Brown vs. Board of Education decision, Cosby addressed a Washington, D.C., audience -- but for once, few liked what he had to say.
Cosby chastised young blacks, of whom he said a disproportionate number behave in a way that prevents them from taking advantage of the opportunities available to them. According to Cosby, this behavior includes drug abuse, teenage pregnancy and a poor usage of the English language, among others.
Cosby's criticisms are supported by statistics. According to the Census Bureau, nearly one in nine blacks between the ages of 16 and 19 is a high school dropout. Although dropout rates for Hispanics are higher, around one in five, rates for whites and Asians are significantly lower, at one in sixteen and one in twenty-eight, respectively. The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies reports that one in nine black females in the 9th through 12th grades has been pregnant. Reports show that teen pregnancy rates for white and Hispanic females are significantly lower, around one in sixteen and one in twenty-nine, respectively. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, one in six blacks in the 10th through 12th grades uses illegal drugs.
While some members of the African-American community have condemned Cosby for his outspoken criticisms, it seems that they are missing his point. Critics say that Cosby is attacking the victims rather than offering an alternative. But for Dr. Cosby, confronting the "victims" could prove to be one of the best ways to get through to them. He is not asking young blacks to reject their "blackness" and assimilate into white America. He wants them only to take advantage of the opportunities that are currently afforded to them because of the sacrifices of generations before them. He wants them to continue to push the limit instead of giving up.
Cosby's criticisms of the African-American community can be extended to all young Americans -- but too few are willing to listen to anything that doesn't speak to them from television speakers. The majority of today's television programming embodies few of the values emphasized by Cosby. Ironically, "The Cosby Show" was pushed off the air in 1992 by "The Simpsons," which was featured during the same time slot [according to the Internet Movie Database]. Apparently, Americans found dysfunction more entertaining than wholesome values. I beg to differ. All Americans could use a dose of Cosby's wit and knowledge after all that our nation has gone through. I suggest we take what he has to say to heart. Until then, I think I'll kick back to another late-night "Cosby Show" marathon. Bill Cosby for president, anyone?
Todd Rosenbaum is a Cavalier Daily columnist. He can be reached at trosenbaum@cavalierdaily.com.
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